Gwinnett Daily Post

Jackson County's industrial market keeps booming.

Cousins Properties Inc. says it's got 304 acres at Interstate 85 and Ga. Highway 129 where it's going to develop Jefferson Mill Business Park. It will contain seven industrial buildings with 3.2 million square feet, along with some retail sites along Ga. Highway 129.

Jackson is no stranger to big industrial real estate deals.

The county has plenty of undeveloped land. Plus, it's benefiting from the dwindling number of large land tracts in Gwinnett - a trend helping fuel talk here of high rises.

In recent years more companies have launched warehouse and manufacturing operations there, including Caterpillar and Hitachi Power Tools. Adding Cousins' strong brand name brings the county greater prestige, said Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Pepe Cummings.

"It puts us on the map," Cummings said. "We were already known by the local folks, but now anyone in the U.S. that wants to develop industrial property in the Southeast can look at what Cousins is planning here."

Scientific's profits

weakened by Cisco deal

Scientific-Atlanta - the largest and brightest star in Gwinnett's corporate world - posted strong second quarter sales. But its profit fell 9 percent in the October to December period in part because of expenses related to the pending acquisition by Cisco Systems.

Lawrenceville-based Scientific-Atlanta earned $53.4 million, or 34 cents per share. It posted $58.7 million in net income, or 38 cents per share, during the time a year ago.

Sales increased 12 percent to $495 million. Digital video recorder shipments set a new high. So did modem sales.

But expenses, including $6.6 million related to the Cisco acquisition, cut into profits. The San Jose, Calif.-based telecommunications company has agreed to purchase Scientific-Atlanta for nearly $7 billion.

On the green

Gwinnett's golf and tennis crowd will soon have a new amenity.

A PGA Tour superstore is headed for the Gwinnett Place Mall area at Interstate 85 and Steve Reynolds Boulevard. Doors are set to open in April.

The 78,000-square-foot store is moving into the former Incredible Universe auto installation business on West Liddel Road. The PGA superstore will stand next to Dave & Busters.

Doug Sams is the business writer for the Gwinnett Daily Post. E-mail him at doug.sams@gwinnettdailypost.com